Rail adjuster



Patented Oct. 30, 1 928.

HUGHES, or Mmnnn, LOUISIANA, Assrc'noaor'snvnuawnnrinrirs To 7 pm. JOHN B. BENTON, or Mmnniv, LOUISIANA.

RAIL ADJUSTER.

Application filed October 13, 1927. serial No. 9216,081.

The present invention relates toiimprovements inrail adjustersand has for an obgcct to provide an improved compact device for:

, qglmicklyi and efficiently adwst-ing relatively e of adjacent railway rails. l a I Another object ofthe invention is to provide a. relatively inexpensive device for ad-i justingrails in which the great number ofworkmen 5 now' required will dispensed 1 with and thework carried outat a min mum ofexpense. a Thexfurther object of the invention is provide an improved rail adjuster inwvhich thetime element heretofore-required for can ryingout this work willbe greatly'diminished, and in whichwthe labor charge will he propo:rtionately reducedi' With the foregoing and other objects in View, the inwention will be more fully de scribed hereinafter, and will he morepurticuiiarly pointed out inthe claims appended n the drawings, whmein like symbols refer to like or cornesponding parts throughout the seweral views-k I H r U Figure il is :aj topplan view,.with parts hlioken away and pants in section, of an inn pun-v ed rail adjuster constructed according to thepresent inventiom a v w i Figurefi is a sideielevation ofzthe sainei Figure B i'sa'cross section taken on theline MinFigflreghandr a i i Figmei is alsoa cross section taken onthe line -veinfFigure-il. i i Referring more particularly to the draw ings 51 andfi designa e the adjacent ends of tworailway rails to which the adjusting dcvice is applied, The device shown generally 'iscomposed of a pah'qof heads 7 and 8 each traa ersed bytwoithreaded bores which are offset to opposite sides of the central portions ofthe heads and which are adapted to receive the pair of screw shaft-s or rods 9' and 10. Each shaft or rod is provided with both right and left threads, the right threads extending from one end to approximately the central portion while the. leftthreads extend from the opposite end appro i t l the centralportion. The bores of the heads are threaded to correspond with the shaft ends engaging same, the object being to draw the heads 7 and 8 together'or toward one another uponrotation of the screw shaftsin one direction, and to cause the heads to move apart when the shafts are rotated in the opposite direction. a 1 V i The central-under portions of both heads are cutaway to. receive the halls of the two rails 5 and, 5. Each head at one side, as shown iii-Figures 351ml 4, is provided with a shallow recess 11 cut in from the shoulder 12 which engages beneath the-ball oftheirail.

Atthe opposite siderof eachhead a deeper reoess l3is provided and the; underline or shouldcr portion 14 iscut away and is more .re-

mote from therail. As shown at the left of Figure 1 therecess 13 is provided Withaninner'wa'll having the inclined portions 15 and 16 meeting-centrally inthe apex 17 'an'd slop ing in opposite directions away from the railf These. inclined faces or walls 15 and 16 are adapted to receive thereagainst the inclined rear walls 18 of wedge blocks 19 having teeth along their forward surfaces for 1 engaging against the side oftiheball of the rail.

Appropriate means may be ieinployed'to rotatethe screw shafts Band 10 and for this purpose a pawland ratchet arrangement is shown as engaged with. each vof the shafts. i

The ratchet wheel is indicated at- 21. being fixed to each screw shaft as by theikey 22. The external teeth 23 upon the ratchet wheel are arranged to be engaged :by either endQiL or 25 of the double pawl or dog, which-is ,piiv- I oted centrally at26 vn'rithin the operating soeketmen'lher adapted to receive the handle indicated at 28 in dotted The socket member 27- is provided, with the bifurcated a with the heads? and 8 saddled upon the two rails 5 and 6 near the ends thereof. As shown in Figure 4, the heads are so disposed upon the rails that the shoulder 12 willhook under the balls at one side of the rail to keep the adjuster device in place and to avoid its raising off the rail. The wedges 19 may be 7 applied as shown in Figure 1 to the outsider inclined Walls 15 or they may be applied tothe near or inneriinclined walls 16 In order to push the rails with the adjuster, the wedges are inserted as shown in Figure ,1, that is from the outside of the heads, The

wedges are'tightened by giving to the jack screws or screw shafts 9 and 10 several oscillations. When it is desired to pull the rails, the wedges are released by operating the jack screw in the opposite direction and subsequently removing the wedges 19 from the outside, and inserting them on the inside walls 16. Several movements of the jack screws in the proper direction will tighten the wedge in this new location and the work of pulling the rails may then be carried out by the continued rotation of the jack screws by the pawl and ratchet device. This is accomplished by repeatedly oscillating the handles 28. The wedges may be secured to the adjuster by means of chains to prevent loss. \Vhen the wedges are removed entirely from the heads, the device may he slid along the rails to the new location required.

\V hen the rails become lapped, put the adjuster on the joint affected, and insert one wedge from the outside of the head that is on the stationary rail, and let the other head of the adjuster bear against the end of the rail that is to be pushed back into place, leaving the wedge out. The head then travels loose on the rail, pushing the displaced rail back to its proper place.

There are no bolts or nuts or rods to adjust or tighten in the improved adjuster, and a single person may operate same, doing away with the large number of workmen now employed in road gangs rendering the adjustment of rails possible at very small expense as compared with the old method.

It will be obvious that many changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts could be made, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details, except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. An improved rail adjuster comprising spaced heads for engaging the rails and having cutaway portions to receive the rails with shoulders at one side to hook under the balls of the rails, the other sides of the heads being provided with divergent inclined walls, wedges for removably engaging either of the inclined walls and the rail balls, and means for moving said heads together or apart.

2. An improved rail adjuster comprising spaced heads for engaging the rails and having cut away portions to receive the rails with shoulders at one side to hook under the balls of the rails, the other sides of the heads being provided with divergent inclined walls, wedges for removably engaging either of the inclined walls and the rail balls, and screw shafts engaging the heads for moving the same together and apart.

An improved rail adjuster comprising spaced heads for engaging the rails and hav ing cut away portions to receive the rails with shoulders at one side to hook under the balls of the rails, the other sides of the heads being provided with divergent inclined walls, wedges for removably engaging either of the inclined walls, and the rail balls, dillerential screw shafts engaging through the heads for moving the same together and apart, and means for rotating said screw shafts in either direction.

4. An improved rail adjuster comprising spaced heads for engaging the rails and having cut away portions to receive the rails with shoulders at one side to hook under the balls of the rails, the other sides of the heads being provided with divergent inclined walls, wedges for removably engaging either of the inclined walls and the rail balls, screw shafts having right and left threads engaging through said heads, and oscillating means for rotating the heads in either direction.

5. An improved rail adjuster comprising spaced heads for engaging the rails and having cut away portions to receive the rails with shoulders at one side to hook under the balls of the rails, the other sides of the heads being provided with divergent inclined walls, wedges for removably engaging either of the inclined walls and the rail balls, screw shafts for engaging said heads, ratchet wheels se cured to said shafts, socket pieces having perforated bifurcated arms straddling said ratchet wheels and bearing on smooth portions of the screw shafts, and double ratchet-s carried by said socket pieces for engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheels.

ARTHUR S. HUGHES. 

